Budget

Trump’s Plan to Overhaul the Government

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled a sweeping proposal to reorganize the federal government by merging departments, shrinking agencies, consolidating social safety net programs, selling...
Everything You Need to Know About the New GOP Budget

By Yuval Rosenberg

House Republicans released a 2019 budget proposal Tuesday that, though it stands little chance of advancing, signals the party’s priorities: The blueprint would balance the budget in nine years by...
The High Cost of Trump's Border Crisis

By Michael Rainey

In an abrupt reversal in the face of mounting political and public pressure, President Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to end the separation of migrant children from their parents at the...
Trump Again Threatens a Government Shutdown Over Border Wall Funding

By Yuval Rosenberg

Angry over the lack of full, upfront funding for his border wall with Mexico, President Trump reportedly threatened to shut down the government in September. Politico reports that Trump “fumed to...
The Politics Behind Permanent Trillion-Dollar Deficits

By Yuval Rosenberg

Budget Guy Stan Collender writes that budget deficits under the Trump administration are projected to hit $1 trillion in 2020 — and keep rising to $1.5 trillion in fiscal 2028. “But what’s most...

House Committee to Mark Up Doomed 2019 Budget

By Yuval Rosenberg

House Budget Committee Chairman Steve Womack (R-AR) announced Monday that his panel will hold a two-day markup of the fiscal 2019 budget resolution on Wednesday and Thursday. The resolution...
Another Way Trump’s Trade War Could Hurt the US

By Yuval Rosenberg

Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at the Bleakley Advisory Group, adds another wrinkle to the dangers of an emerging trade war. In a Monday morning email, Boockvar notes that foreigners were...
Trump Calls for the Military to Add a Space Force

By Michael Rainey

President Trump ordered the Defense Department on Monday to take steps toward creating a new branch of the military focused on space. "I am hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to...
Is Trump Really Saving Money by Canceling ‘War Games’ in South Korea?

By Michael Rainey

President Trump announced Tuesday that the extensive joint military exercises the U.S. regularly holds with South Korea will cease as he seeks to improve relations with North Korea. In addition to...
Congress Faces a Rocky Road to November

By Yuval Rosenberg

The news headlines may be dominated by stories about President Trump, North Korea, trade wars and the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in U.S. elections, but budget expert Stan...

Why Trump’s Spending Clawbacks Matter ... and Why They Don’t

By Yuval Rosenberg

In a party-line vote, the House on Thursday evening narrowly passed the White House’s proposal to claw back nearly $15 billion in previously approved federal funding that was never spent. The vote...
Trump’s Rescissions Package Will Save Only $1.1 Billion, CBO Says

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Trump administration’s revised plan to claw back federal spending is heading for a House vote tonight, but a new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office finds that it will save only $1.1...
Do Deficit Hawks Have a Snowball’s Chance in Hell in Today’s Politics?

By Michael Rainey

When Starbucks founder and executive chairman Howard Schultz announced his retirement earlier this week, he set off a round of speculation about a possible presidential run in 2020. Schultz has never...
Boomers vs. Kids: Federal Spending on Children Is Falling

By Yuval Rosenberg

“The future depends on what we do in the present,” Mahatma Gandhi once said (at least according to the Internet). If so, a new report suggests we’re headed for some trouble, as the federal government...
Are Democrats the Party of Fiscal Responsibility? A Debate

By Michael Rainey

Talking to CNBC on Tuesday about his concerns that Democrats are going too far left with policy proposals such as a job guarantee and single-payer health care, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz said...